iii
She had decided and now there was no looking back. She had
packed all her stuff. The bag remained at the door. His favorite outfit she
wore, hopeful to be held by him unexpectedly. Still he didn’t come, no not at
all. She prayed deep inside, she questioned her heart and wanted an approval
from its bottom, but it denied. Her conscience failed to convince her, she had
gained that courage somehow, now she will not stop, never!
“I want to come to stay with you mom” phoned Shree. “Mom,
the whole house stifles me”, she choked. The ticket to Kolkata was booked now,
her heart filled with the joy like a little girl’s, she wanted to breathe now, an air of another world, one with some beauty around. The
silence now strangles the every move she makes in the house without him.
It is 6:00 pm, the maid came for her usual work, but Shree
is not interested to hear what Meena has to say, Shree ignores her today.
Shree’s mind is already occupied with the flashes of him going, saying goodbye
through a note. She is angry and cannot swallow that any more. Meena went after
her routine cleaning of the house and all her dues were cleared by Shree; Meena
shed tears of sympathy and said she would miss coming there and speaking to her
memsaab. Shree remained quiet and bid
goodbye to Meena for the last time. She cooks, but doesn’t eat. She packs it
the next morning and leaves it at the stained kitchen basin.
The dawn is more quiet than usual, it certainly isn’t peace!
It is some painful lullaby that continues till dawn that day, it ceases to
cease. She looks outside the window of her room, the same window pane where she
stood with him for the first time, after coming to this abode. The same window
where she sat looking at him reading the paper, with a vague frown and a baby like eyes. The place from here they both looked upon the whole street, sipping
coffee and talking of their lives together. The thought of leaving distracts
her from his memory, she suddenly feels the pain which she never deserved to
have gone through, and asks why?
Ghanshyam rings at the door, “Memsaab, the car is here, I
hope you are ready to leave, the train is at 2:30 coach is C1, seat no. 64, and
there shouldn’t be any problem”. Shree nodded. Shree thought she won’t look
back, but. Her eyes were wet, and her walk was slow, she was doing what she
never thought, she will. She touched the window pane and felt he was there,
smiling at her, with tears in his eyes. No, but he never came, not at all.
